


Blue Sky

by orphan_account



Category: Breaking Bad, Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, And returns to Arcadia Bay to tell Chloe, Angst, But Chloe has left town with someone else, Chloe wants to marry Rachel, Coming Out, Crime, Crystal Meth, Drama, Eloping, F/F, Fluff, Heisenberg's successor, Max finally comes out, Romance, You freed me, money problems, you saved me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-03-30 03:40:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13941819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Chloe and Rachel succesfully elope.Max finally comes out and returns to Arcadia Bay to tell Chloe how she feels, only to find that Chloe isn't there anymore.Chloe's chemistry skills come in handy as she and Rachel are desperately short of cash.Chloe recalls how Frank once showed her a product that he said was going to help him become rich. A product called Blue Sky.Soon, rumors start spreading that the mysterious Heisenberg might not be dead at all.





	1. Coming out

**Coming out**

_Seattle, early 2013_

"I'm glad you made it, Max. I was worried when I got your call. You sounded so serious. And with the current winter weather, I wasn't sure we'd be able to meet here."

Max sat herself down at the little table inside the coffee shop. She was still shivering from the cold outside, temperatures hadn't reached such lows ever since she moved to Seattle. She took off her mittens and rubbed her hands together.

Then she picked up the coffee cup in front of her. Hot. Good. That was what she needed, in more ways than one.

"Kristen, thank you for picking up the phone. I wasn't sure you were in town, after all you said you were going to visit your parents?"

Kristen looked at Max. She had befriended the brown-haired girl over four years ago, when Max had first arrived from Arcadia Bay. She and her friend Fernando had seen Max sitting all by herself during school lunches, and one day they decided just to go and sit with her.

It had taken a while before Max opened up to them, and even when she started to talk, she always seemed to be holding back. But both Kristen and Fernando had been patient. They liked the geeky introverted girl and tried their best to make her feel at home in Seattle.

"I just got back yesterday, Max. So now I have all the time in the world for you. There won't be many people coming in here today, so we'll have enough privacy. You said there was something you wanted to talk about, and that it was urgent?"

 _'_ _Something'_ , Max thought to herself, what a wonderful understatement. For over four years, she had been struggling to try and get herself to admit that something. Even on this day, she still felt nervous about it and wasn't sure she could get herself to tell Kristen.

Kristen was so different, it was no secret to anyone in school that Kristen was gay, and proud of it. Kristen didn't seem to care what anyone thought, and in fact, many girls and even some boys constantly sought Kristen out for advice. Max saw them come and go. But no matter how hard she had tried to get herself to do the same thing, she had never been able to get herself to talk about those things.

"It's been on my mind for so long, Kristen. I… I should have done this a long time ago. Do you remember that I… that I told you about my childhood best friend Chloe?"

"I do, from what I can recall, you told me that the two of you were very close, until you came to Seattle with your parents."

Even at this stage of their talk, Max felt like someone was sticking icepicks into her heart. Yeah, she had been close to Chloe alright. But something had gone terribly wrong.

"I… I just don't know how to put it into words really. I feel like such an asshole… Chloe was my best friend in life, and I left her at the worst possible moment, right after the death of her father. I… I couldn't even get myself to tell her in person that my parents were going to move to Seattle."

"Max, you should not be blaming yourself for something you had no control over. You didn't want any of that to happen."

 _'_ _If only it were that simple'_ , Max thought.

"Of course I didn't want any of that to happen. But that's not the issue here. You know, it's been more than four years… four years since I last sent Chloe any message. Four years, Kristen. I have this e-mail all typed out, ever since late November 2008, but for some reason, I never sent it.

At first I thought Chloe might still be grieving over her father, so I shouldn't bother her too much. Then I told myself I was only 13 years old, and there would be plenty of time, I could always just keep sending text messages or call her up. But for some reason, I never did. No e-mail, no text messages, no phone calls, nothing.

And before I knew it, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and now those months have turned into years. All I left behind for Chloe was a tape I recorded, I don't even know if Chloe ever listened to it."

Kristen saw Max wipe away a few tears. This was turning into a serious talk indeed. Max was opening up like never before. Kristen wanted to make sure she wasn't going to push Max too hard, but instead just let her talk, keep her in her own comfort zone, and give encouragement where needed.

"It's a difficult situation, Max. I understand that very well. You cared deeply about her, you still do, I can tell. I want to help you, if you'll let me."

 _'_ _Help'_ , that was the word Max hoped she would hear. Kristen wanted to help her, that was good.

Max sighed, knowing that she would first have to tell Kristen exactly what she felt. Saying that one thing she had postponed for so long.

"Kristen… I… I don't really know how to handle this. I think… I realize… I… when I left, I might have just started to feel something more than a friendship. It sounds strange, I know.

I believed I was way too young for that sort of thing. I thought that if I ignored it, the feeling would go away. But it hasn't. I feel it much stronger now than I did back then. But every time I pick up my phone, something just freezes inside of me... like the universe is trying to stop me from sending Chloe any message. It's a stupid excuse, I know… I'm such a coward."

"Don't demean yourself, Max. I think I know what's on your mind. And there's no shame in it, none whatsoever. In fact, would you believe me if I told you I've suspected this for some time? I'm glad we're here right now, to talk about these things. And trust me, I understand that it can feel difficult to do."

Max appreciated how Kristen seemed to be gently guiding her along. Not applying any pressure. Max let out a couple more sighs. This could be the moment.

"I should probably just say it, Kristen… I think I'm into... I mean, prefer… exclusively... gay, that's the word. I suppose I better just say it directly, I think I'm gay."

Kristen smiled at Max. The secret was out at last. At least, secret as far as Max was concerned. To Kristen, it was no surprise at all. Also, it was clear to Kristen that Max's confession, or rather _'coming out'_ was related to Chloe. What was needed now was support and encouragement, but also a dose of reality.

"I'm your friend, Max. And I'm not going to lie, this is a difficult situation. You need closure, one way or another. This thing is weighing you down, I can see that. And there is only one way you're going to get that closure. You have to tell her in person. It's the easiest way, but I won't pretend it is easy to do. In some cases, the easiest thing to do might still be hard."

Kristen's response was no surprise to Max. She had expected it. And to some degree, she felt some relief already. Relief because she had finally told someone about her sexuality. Relief because that someone was dependable, trustworthy and had already offered to help.

"I… I think I might have an opening. I signed up for the new photography course at Blackwell, the one that will be taught by my photography idol Mark Jefferson. It will start in the fall. That means I am going to go back to Arcadia Bay."

Kristen nodded her head. She pounced on what Max said and decided to encourage her further.

"That might be an opportunity, I agree. You probably have to go there a few times before the next schoolyear starts, right?"

"Yes, I think it will be necessary. I have to arrange a dorm room, get some forms relating to my scholarship signed and a bunch of other things. I think it's best to do most of that in person, to make sure nothing gets lost in the mail, because I don't want to miss this chance for the kind of education I want."

The waitress appeared at their table, and the two young women both decided to order some more coffee. Kristen then continued the conversation.

"And you could use that as an opportunity to go visit her, and tell her about what you just told me."

Max realized that Kristen was stating the obvious. Another sigh. But Kristen was right, Max couldn't keep running and hiding from this forever.

"That's going to b-be the difficult part. I-I was thinking of going in March, it will be Chloe's birthday. But right now, I don't even know if she even wants to see me again. She might slam the door in my face… and… uhh… well, you know, she could have moved away, I don't know. I suppose that's the result of me being such a crappy friend all these years… that is, if she still considers herself my friend…"

"I can't answer those questions for you, Max. Also, I can't guarantee anything. But I can tell you this. It's going to be a huge relief for you once you tell Chloe about your true feelings, about yourself and everything. One way or another, it's going to help you. I wouldn't wait much longer if I were you. Your idea of going in March sounds like a plan. Like I said, I will help you."

Suddenly, Max was filled with determination. Where did this feeling come from? It didn't matter. Finally, she was going to tell Chloe about her true feelings, about the things she had wanted to say for so long but never had. Kristen was right, there was no easy way of going about this, but it had to be done. If you truly love someone…

 

***

_Arcadia Bay, March 2013_

It had been a difficult drive from Seattle to Arcadia Bay. All day long, rain kept falling. But Max was determined. She had visited Blackwell already. She had dropped off the papers her parents had co-signed, and had indicated her preference for a dorm room. Now, she was on her way to the Two Whales.

Hopefully, Joyce still worked at that diner. Max and Kristen had discussed how to go about things, and they had agreed that Max should visit Joyce first, to sound her out about Chloe. Max pulled into the parking lot, the rain showed no sign of stopping. Max prepared to run towards the door because she didn't want to get drenched.

Once inside, she was immediately confronted with a familiar smell. A mixture of coffee and Joyce's food. Max sat herself down in the nearest available diner booth. She looked around. It was like nothing had changed in over four years. It made Max think, how much easier would this be if she could just rewind time? But alas, such powers were not available.

A middle-aged woman emerged from behind the diner's bar. She looked very familiar indeed. It was Joyce, Chloe's mother. Joyce looked almost exactly the way Max remembered her.

"Welcome, young lady, how may I help you?"

"Hello Joyce, it's me, Max."

Joyce stood there with open mouth. She had not expected this at all.

"I-is that really you? Max? Max Caulfield? You've grown… I'm so… I-I don't know what to say. I'm sorry for not recognizing you immediately. Shall I start with pouring you some coffee? You look like you need it."

"Thanks Joyce, and if it's not too much to ask, could I get a hamburger?"

"Of course, I'll be right back. And since it's a slow day anyway, on account of the weather, we can talk a bit."

A few minutes later Joyce returned with Max's hamburger, and sat down on the bench opposite Max.

"What brings you here today, Max?"

"I'm going to be attending Blackwell Academy in the fall, they have this new photography course. I've received a scholarship…"

"That is wonderful, Max. I am so happy for you. You know, it's been a while since we heard anything from you."

And there it was. Joyce giving her the reminder. Four years of radio silence. But, now that she was here, Max was determined to do what she came to do.

"I-I know… I feel so bad about the situation. My parents taking me to Seattle almost immediately after William's funeral. I didn't want to abandon Chloe… I really didn't, but I just didn't know what to say."

Joyce could hear the emotion in Max's voice. And it immediately dawned on her. Max didn't know. She had probably come to meet Chloe, it was Chloe's birthday after all. Before Joyce knew it, she had to wipe a tear from her own cheek.

"Max, there's something you need to know. I mean, about Chloe."

There it was. The moment Max had feared. Joyce was probably going to tell her Chloe didn't ever want to see her again. And Max could accept that, because four years of zero communication wasn't exactly the sign of Max being a friend to Chloe. Max braced herself, Joyce continued.

"She's not here anymore, Max. She's gone. I mean… she left town. I guess the proper way to put it is that she eloped."

 _'_ _Eloped'_ , Max thought. Chloe had run away with some dude to get married or something? Max's heart sank. This wasn't going the way she had hoped, not at all.

"It's a long story, Max. I think it's best if we went home to talk about it, I mean, to my house. I'll ask if I can leave early today, because there are many things I need to tell you about what happened."

Joyce briefly disappeared behind the bar. After a few minutes she returned.

"Max, I've just arranged to go early today. Did you come by car? You could give me a lift. Do you still know where the house is?"

Max confirmed that she still knew. And giving Joyce a lift was no problem at all.

There it was. The house that Max used to visit so often. Where she spent so much time with her childhood friend Chloe. It looked exactly the way Max remembered it. Only slightly more dilapidated. Fortune had not smiled upon the Price family, that was for sure.

"Come inside, Max, and let's sit down at the table. I'll make us some coffee, assuming you want some more?"

"Yes Joyce, please."

Max looked around. She saw a picture of Joyce, together with a man that Max did not recognize at all. Maybe Joyce had a new partner? Max was sure she would hear all about it.

Joyce put the coffee cups on the table and filled them up.

"Do you want me to start at the beginning, Max? I think you will want to hear everything, right?"

"I guess so, that is if you have the time. I don't want to be a burden…"

Joyce looked at Max and shook her head.

"You're not a burden, Max. You are always welcome here, and don't you forget it. We've missed you, a lot. But let me start."

Max's feelings were all over the place. She was probably not going to like everything she was about to hear. But now that she was here, she might as well get the whole story.

"You remember the day William died? You and Chloe were both standing right over there when I opened the front door. Then I had to tell her… there were a thousand things I would rather have done at that moment, but I had to tell her.

I can still picture her calmly walking up the stairs. We both heard her slam her bedroom's door shut behind her. She didn't want to see me, or you, or anyone. And a few days later there was the funeral. You and your parents were there. And then you had to leave. I just want you to know, nobody blames you for that, Max. You had no choice."

"I know, Joyce. But I still feel guilty about it. I left her a tape in her room, because it was the only way I could think of to leave her a personal message. But there were so many other things I wanted to say to her, things that I couldn't say… I'm so… so sorry…"

"It will not come as a surprise to you, Max, that Chloe took William's death very hard. She spent days just lying on her bed, crying. I wanted to comfort her so much, share our grief, but I couldn't get through to her. She kept saying it was so unfair. To say that she sank into a deep depression would be an understatement.

She stopped smiling. She blamed everyone for William's death. Me, you, herself and the rest of the world. Her behavior changed radically. She started to wear different clothes. Jeans with holes in them, different shirts, darker colors. She was getting into more and more trouble at school. In the beginning, principal Wells and I agreed that we needed to give her some space and some leeway. But things didn't get better, and her grades started plummeting. She refused to do any homework and started hanging out with a bunch of stoners. And increasingly, she skipped school altogether.

Here at home, it wasn't much different. I lost count of how many arguments I had with her. She was nearly always bitter and angry, not willing to listen to anything I had to say. Only once, when I told her how much I had loved William, did she make an effort to hear me out. But that was before I met David.

It must have been November when David Madsen, the man I married in 2010, first showed up at the diner. He's a military veteran, and he… how do I say this… he's an old-style gentleman. I liked him, and we decided to see each other more often. I hesitated to bring him to our house, because I knew Chloe would make an issue out of it. After a few weeks of waiting, I finally did invite him over. Fortunately, Chloe wasn't at home that first time."

Max was almost unable to breathe. _'My god, what have I done'_ , she thought. Her worst fears were being confirmed, one after the other. Max started feeling like shit. Chloe had needed her, and Max had abandoned her, sending nothing but a handful of meaningless text messages, and nothing at all after November. It felt like the equivalent of having thrown Chloe onto a trash heap.

"I saw that picture a moment ago, when you were making coffee. That would be your new husband David, right?"

"Yes, Max, that's correct. I really do love David. He's different from William, that's for sure, but he is a good man, and I thought it would help Chloe to have a father figure around. I knew that she wasn't going to be immediately happy about it, but I vastly underestimated the way she ended up reacting to it.

She was angry when she found out about him. She hated him from the start. You need to know, Max, David was unemployed when I first met him. He didn't get a steady job until more than a year later. Chloe called me desperate, she asked me how I dared bring someone like David to our house, less than three months after William's death.

She suggested I was betraying William, and her too. Chloe kept saying David was worthless. And soon enough, she and David started having arguments. They were both very stubborn. It's almost fortunate that David didn't move in until early 2010. If it hadn't been for Chloe, I would have brought him in earlier. I tried to balance Chloe's needs with my own, but I failed to realize Chloe wasn't listening to reason anymore.

After a few months, I made Chloe see a therapist. Briefly, she seemed to respond well to it, but that didn't last long. She quit after a few months and she said she would flat out refuse to say anything if I sent her back. Throughout 2009, I had recurring fears that Chloe might be suicidal. I read a few books about it, and she showed all the telltale signs.

And then something changed. She met someone. If I recall correctly, his name was Eliot. They started hanging out together. They went to concerts together, they saw movies together. It seemed to give her some stability. I was so relieved."

Max thought she made the connection. Joyce had mentioned earlier that Chloe had eloped. Maybe she had gone with this Eliot guy, whoever he was, time to ask about it. But first, Max decided to ask for more coffee. Joyce happily obliged.

"You know, Max, that rain outside right now, that's a perfect metaphor for what happened to our lives. Anyway, I've read Chloe's diary. She left it here when she eloped. The diary seems to very strongly hint that she… how do I say that… she called it her boy toy phase, I don't know really."

"Is he the one she eloped with?"

"No, Max, no. Absolutely not. And I'm going to tell you about it now. It must have been spring 2010. Chloe described it in her diary. She wanted to go to this concert at the Old Mill, I believe it was her favorite band, Firewand or something like that, I don't recall the exact name. She had asked me if she could go, I told her no, but as was to be expected those days she went anyway.

And this is where the story really begins. There was this girl in school. According to her diary, Chloe had admired her from afar. And then, this girl shows up at the concert, helping her escape from two guys who wanted to hurt her. They spent the entire evening together, and when Chloe came back home, as per her diary, she spent all of her time thinking of this girl."

 _'_ _Oh no…'_ , Max thought. The tale that Joyce was telling was taking a dramatic turn. Was Chloe into girls after all?

"Who was it? Anyone I might have seen before I left?"

"Her name is Rachel Amber. She is the daughter of the district attorney. And Chloe was infatuated with her right from the start. Only a few days later, they skipped school together and went on a road trip. I only found out about it when principal Wells called me. It was the day that this huge forest fire started, I remember it well. The next day, I met Rachel and her parents in the principal's office. What happened there was… let me call it surreal, that's a good word for it.

Chloe tried to take the blame for what they had done, but Rachel wouldn't let her. She explained that she had convinced Chloe to come with her. In the end, Chloe got suspended for the rest of the schoolyear and Rachel had some of her privileges revoked, including the opportunity to perform in the school play that was to be performed the next evening.

And here's where it gets even more interesting. They both ended up on stage anyway. Apparently, Rachel's replacement got sick, and someone else was unable to come on time because of the forest fire, and somehow it seems Rachel convinced the director, Mr. Keaton, to offer Chloe the part.

One second, let me show you the newspaper article. There's a review of that play somewhere. Let me find it for you… here it is. _'Magical'_ , that's what it said. The reviewer describes a scene where Rachel's character got on her knees for Chloe's character. I wish I had seen it, so I could tell you more about it."

Max browsed the article Joyce had handed to her. _'Wowser'_ , she thought. There were some mighty big words in that review, not bad for a school play. And there was something that mentioned _'tremendous chemistry'_ between the two characters. This must be the girl Chloe ran away with. It had to be.

"She's the one?"

"Yes, that's her. I met her not long afterwards. I've spoken with Mr. Amber a few times since they both disappeared. It seems that on that same night, after the play had finished, they had gone to Rachel's house. Mr. Amber later heard from one of his neighbors that she had seen two girls make out under the streetlights.

Mr. Amber told me that during that evening, Rachel had confronted him about having seen him kiss some woman that Rachel thought wasn't her mother. And then he was forced to admit the truth. It turns out that Mr. Amber and his wife had lied to Rachel all her life. Mrs. Amber wasn't Rachel's mother at all. It turns out that the woman that Rachel and Chloe had seen him with during their road trip _was_ Rachel's real mother after all. A complicated situation, but it must have hurt Rachel a lot.

In the days after, they spent a lot of time at the American Rust junkyard, where they had some sort of outhouse, or hideout, or whatever you might call it. Also, Rachel spent some nights with Chloe right here in this house. It was around the same time that David Madsen and I decided that he was going to move in with us. And he proposed to me only a few days later."

"That must have created some awkward situations. I… I can't even begin to imagine how crazy things must have been at the time, for all of you…"

"I knew next to nothing about Rachel, apart from who her father was. But it was clear to me, right from the start, that she and Chloe were very close. What worried me was that Chloe seemed to cling to Rachel, and was following her around wherever she went. It was not an equal relationship, certainly not in the beginning. I feared that Rachel was too casual about it, and would eventually move on, which would devastate Chloe. But in retrospect, I shouldn't have been concerned.

The two of them raised hell wherever they went. And they went everywhere. They were inseparable. I noticed that Rachel was having a clear effect on Chloe. Chloe started smiling again. I hadn't seen her smile for so long. She was full of life once more, happy, as she had been before William's death.

The next schoolyear began, and Chloe was readmitted to Blackwell. Her grades improved massively, her GPA went up to 3.6. I even received a letter from Mrs. Grant, the chemistry teacher, in which she wrote that if Chloe kept up performing as she did, Blackwell would happily provide her with a letter of recommendation if she was to decide to go to university.

Chloe's behavior also dramatically changed. She stopped picking fights with David, and even apologized to me for some of the things she had said. She brought Rachel to our wedding, I did not dare to object. But when I told her I was going to take David's surname, she made it very clear she would never agree to do the same thing."

Joyce showed Max some pictures of Chloe and Rachel together. _'She's pretty'_ , Max thought. _'I can see why Chloe likes her'_. Max tried to imagine the two of them together, somewhere, wherever they were.

"If you want, Max, you can go upstairs to Chloe's room. Now, or later, it doesn't matter. But I have to warn you, Chloe wrote a few things about you in her diary. In the first year or so, she makes it clear she was missing you, and would happily take you back anytime. However, the more recent entries are less positive. I'm not sure you would want to see all of it."

Max sighed. She could hardly blame Chloe for anything that might have been written. She would decide later if she was going to go and see for herself, or not. But she recalled the reason she had come to Arcadia Bay in the first place, to tell Chloe how she felt… with Chloe absent, that was obviously not going to happen. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Max, but swallow it she certainly had to. Max realized that staying incommunicado for four years had consequences.

"I'll go later, maybe… I'm not sure, Joyce. I… I wanted to tell her… things… but yeah… obviously…"

"She left her phone behind too. So, if you had sent her messages in the last year, she wouldn't have gotten them. Also, she didn't mention you at all during that time. Oh, I almost forgot, I should tell you exactly when they disappeared. It was last year, the day after Chloe's birthday. March 12, 2012. Apparently, they had been planning it for some time.

They had me, David and the Ambers completely fooled. For one-and-a-half years, they were mostly on their best behavior, getting good grades, you name it. But all the time, they were planning to leave town. In retrospect, we should have seen it coming. Mr. Amber admitted that he ignored all the signals. Also, he told me he had tried to get Rachel to break up with Chloe, and he thinks that might well have caused the two of them to definitively decide to elope.

You know how I found out that they were something more than just best friends, gal pals or whatever you call it? It was the late summer of 2010, the two of them were in Chloe's room. I decided to go and bring them tea. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I put the tray down and opened the door. That's when I saw it.

The scene left little to imagination. They were on the bed, in each other's arms, how shall I put this… making out? Both of them were in an advanced state of undress, their clothes were spread all over the room. Fortunately, they didn't notice me and I quietly slipped out of the room and closed the door behind me.

Less than a week later, Chloe approached me. David was working overtime and I was preparing dinner for myself and Chloe. She looked a bit nervous, but she was very direct. She told me she needed to tell me something. And then she confirmed what I basically already knew. She came out to me, told me she was absolutely one hundred percent gay, and that Rachel was her girlfriend. I tried to act at least a little bit surprised, and said I was happy for her."

Max felt about as low as she could have. Chloe was gay, of course she was. Max chastised herself. _'Why didn't you say anything, you idiot'_ , she thought. Max felt the pain in her heart. _'If only I had sent that e-mail… maybe… yeah… too late now'_. Max decided that she wasn't going to tell Joyce that she was gay too.

"Are you alright, Max?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. It's just… I was thinking some thoughts… maybe later."

"I mentioned the date that they disappeared. Rachel was still a minor, and there was a significant search effort for about four months. But ultimately, the police failed to find them. And after Rachel's 18th birthday, the efforts were scaled back.

Last August, I received a call from Chloe. She told me she was doing fine. I asked her where she was, she said she couldn't tell me. Rachel had called the Ambers the same day. They've called us every month since then. David managed to trace one of the calls to a payphone in Grand Junction, Colorado.

That's as close as we've ever been able to get. We don't know where they are. The only thing that gives me any comfort is that they are alive, and probably happy together, I'm not sure. I miss her so much, Max. I want nothing more than to see her again. On her last call, Chloe said that it wasn't my fault they left. She said the main reason had something to do with the Ambers, about the situation with Rachel's real mother that I told you about earlier. Chloe made it clear to me that she would never abandon Rachel."

 

***

Max thanked Joyce for explaining what had happened. She had a lot of information to process.

Joyce invited Max to stay for dinner. David Madsen came home, and Joyce introduced him to Max. After dinner, Max said she had to go, she promised to stay in contact with them.

Back in her car, Max was already starting to think. There was a long drive ahead of her.

But Max was determined.

Whatever the situation, she was going to find Chloe.

That was now her number one priority.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, we'll find out what Chloe and Rachel have been doing, and how they got themselves involved in some serious business.


	2. Live free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a little longer than expected. I guess you could say that real life interfered.

**Live free**

_Somewhere in the US Southwest, early 2013_

Chloe was breathing rapidly and audibly. She felt Rachel's hands slowly travel down her body, the many sensations starting to overwhelm her. Just before she closed her eyes she caught a glimpse of Rachel's sultry smile. Chloe by now unable to resist anything the hazel eyed blonde seductress was doing.

The smaller girl kissed her on her belly button and kept kissing her, her mouth inching downwards with every new kiss. Rachel's hands were now caressing Chloe's inner thighs as gently and softly as was possible, drawing ever more irregular breaths and moans from Chloe's mouth.

She was holding and playing with her own breasts as Rachel's mouth reached its inevitable and predictable destination. Applying some gentle pressure with her hands, Rachel edged Chloe's legs slightly more apart. All of this was familiar to Chloe, and evermore desired.

Chloe knew it was her reward, as only minutes before she had worked Rachel to a very loud highlight using just her own two hands. Those magical hands, as Rachel called them, with which Chloe was so talented, as Rachel never stopped saying.

She was glad they lived in a small house detached from the other houses on the edge of the quiet town that was now their home. Had they lived in an apartment complex Rachel's frequent screaming during their nocturnal activities would surely have alerted the neighbors numerous times.

Fingers, hands, mouth, lips… Rachel was now working her miracles, using her entire arsenal. Chloe had by now lost all sense of space and time, no longer able to think of anything else than what Rachel was doing to her. Suddenly, Chloe found one of her own hands on Rachel's hair, she had not noticed it move there at all… the soft strokes through her long hair drew a satisfied purr from Rachel, or so Chloe imagined.

Chloe let out a loud moan, caused by some unexpected movement of Rachel's tongue… or was it a hand? Chloe's mind tried to debate the issue but it was a futile attempt, the sensation of her lover inside her pushing away every thought. She was close now… and Chloe realized it was happening again… Rachel was an expert on keeping her on the edge… refusing her the release Chloe so desperately craved, making it last longer.

Begging… Chloe knew she would have to… _please Rachel_ … _p-please_ … _I'll d-do anything_ … the desperate cries only seemed to encourage Rachel to hold her where she was. Chloe was arching her back as much as she could, despite Rachel's hands pushing her hips against the bed.

An ever-increasing flow of moans, cries and desperate pleas exited Chloe's mouth. Chloe could swear she heard Rachel giggle… and cursed her internally... then after what seemed to be an eternity, she heard Rachel say it… _there you go, baby_ … _there you go_ … the words of her lover were soon drowned out by her own words… _fuck me harder, Rach_ … _don't stop now_ …

And then… release… finally… all Chloe's energies focused on and travelled towards where Rachel was touching her… one shockwave after another passed through her body… and slowly… she started to relax... her breathing still audible… Chloe squeaked and panted a bit…

As her senses started returning to normal, Chloe opened her eyes again, and felt Rachel's hands on her breasts, Rachel once more kissing her body until her mouth reached Chloe's neck. Chloe saw Rachel's smile and smiled back at her.

"Happy birthday, Chlo…"

Rachel kissed her full on the mouth and soon it escalated as it so often did. Tongues touching, soft moaning and muffled giggles.

 _Yeah_ … Chloe thought. _This was certainly a great start to her 19_ _th_ _birthday… hell, it was a great start to any day. Chloe recalled the first times she and Rachel had gone 'all the way'… a lot of awkwardness… but the way Chloe figured, practice makes perfect._

"Wow… Rach… I can still feel them… I mean… those little aftershocks…"

"Just relax and catch your breath, babe."

"Best… birthday… present… ever…"

"Why, thank you. I'm flattered. You know… maybe we can do this again tomorrow, to celebrate the anniversary of our elopement?"

Chloe laughed as she saw Rachel giving her _that_ look. Rachel enjoyed seeing the blush on Chloe's cheeks… it was no longer the adorable _'panic'_ Chloe had so often displayed in their first months together, but still it was highly satisfying.

"I miss your blue hair…"

"Yeah, me too… but… budget cuts, remember?"

"All to well, unfortunately. But I don't want to ruin this day by talking about our terminal lack of hella cash…"

By now Chloe was lying flat on her back, on the bed, with her right arm around Rachel's body and Rachel's head resting upon Chloe's shoulder. Both girls dressed the same way as they had been on the respective days they had been born.

"I don't regret it, Rach. And I don't think I ever will… I don't miss Arcadia Bay at all, that fucking town took everything from me, everything. My dad, my best friend… and then my mom… but even though I do miss her a little, I still don't understand why the hell she even considered bringing that piece of crap into our home? I am so glad I don't have to pretend to like step-douche anymore. Fuck him... I'm glad I stole his tools and some of his guns."

A brief pause followed Chloe's sudden outburst. Rachel used the opportunity to cuddle up to Chloe a little more, entangling her legs with those of her formerly blue-haired lover.

"I agree with you, Chlo. I'm glad to be away from that liar who calls himself my dad and who tried to split us up, and from all those fake people who only pretended to like me. You're so different from them, Chloe, you are the only one I trust. I'm very happy to be here with you. And I will say it again and again, I love you. I'm hella yours and you are hella mine."

"I love you too Rach, more than anything. You are my angel and you saved me…"

Rachel looked at her right arm and shoulder, and with great satisfaction noted that the hickeys Chloe had placed there earlier that morning were still highly visible… she had been marked once more, and it made her happy.

"I didn't save you anymore than you saved me. But… enough talking for now… I think I know a way to distract you…"

Chloe instantly knew what Rachel meant, and before long the two locked each other into a tight embrace and rolled over the bed from one side to the other, back and forth, kissing each other non-stop all the way through.

 

***

Chloe was busy preparing lunch as Rachel emerged from their bedroom, now dressed in her ripped black jeans and red flannel shirt. The two girls weren't going anywhere soon so there was no reason for Rachel not to wear the outfit Chloe loved the most on her.

Rachel embraced Chloe from behind, standing on her tiptoes to kiss Chloe's neck.

"Let's go and eat, Rach."

"Maybe I've already eaten", Rachel said in the most teasing way she imagined she could.

"Oh, shut up, dork", Chloe laughed. "Shut up and sit down."

"I like it when you act all bossy, Chlo." Rachel winked at Chloe, and then did as she had been instructed and sat down at the dinner table, soon joined by Chloe herself.

Chloe couldn't help notice that Rachel looked at her after every single bite. Rachel seemed to be enjoying the day so far, in every way possible.

"Love the waffles, C, is that your mom's recipe?"

"Nah, I never paid much attention to what she was doing, certainly not those last few years."

"You know, we should be doing something tonight, maybe just to drive around a bit. I know this town is practically dead after 8 o'clock, but I kind of want to just go somewhere with you… be together alone… celebrate your birthday a bit more… fuck in the car, I don't know… anything you want…"

Chloe couldn't help smile, her girl was so into her and usually all over her. It reminded her of all the people who were gone from her life… Rachel never would… Chloe knew it… she never would… would she? No, Rachel was here to stay. Rachel was her everything. Chloe couldn't imagine a future without her, not anymore.

"When do you have to go back to work, Rach? Tomorrow?"

"Yeah… every afternoon and evening for the rest of the week… cleaning the school… pretending to be someone I'm not."

That reminded Chloe. They both had part-time cleaning jobs, and both of them had fake IDs, which had helped them stay under the radar. They knew a search effort had taken place the previous year because they had been listed on a missing persons website, but since they were adults now, they were considered a low priority case. Plus, their parents knew they were alive since they called them once every month… from different places… using payphones.

"Same for me. I'm still assigned to the motel on the other side of town, the one with the creepy-as-fuck owner who ogles me all the time. Sometimes I think I'll just shoot the bastard and be done with it."

"I know what you mean, Chlo. There's this security dude at the school, who I think is trying to hint at me that he likes me. I just act all oblivious and try to ignore him as much as I can. We have to be careful, both of us."

"I agree. We probably have to do this for a while yet, until they aren't searching for us anymore. I think we should try to make these gigs fulltime, we need more money. And I think we should talk about it, birthday or not."

"Anything you want, Price, it's your day. Shall we clean up this mess first, and then talk some more?"

"Yeah, I'm done eating. I'll wrap these two remaining ones up and put them in the fridge."

 

***

Chloe was sitting on the couch, fiddling around with her lighter. *CLICK* _Fuck… almost empty… as if there weren't already enough items on the list of things they needed to replace._

Rachel walked towards the couch and sat herself down on Chloe's lap. She was facing Chloe, her knees resting on the couch. A good position to kiss her birthday girl. In no time, they were both really into it. _Chloe's lips taste so good_... _I don't ever want to stop_ …

She felt Chloe's hands on her hips, slowly sliding up under her flannel shirt, touching her bare skin. A breath of satisfaction escaped from Rachel's mouth. Suddenly, Chloe shifted her hands and grabbed Rachel's butt, pulling her girl closer.

"Did I ever mention my love of booty?"

"That feels good... I think you might have, Chloe… a couple of times at least."

It was unclear to either girl which one of them had the biggest smile on her face. A few moments of silent up-close-and-personal passed by. They were just looking each other deep into the eyes. Moments like this could last for minutes on end. Chloe sometimes wished they would last forever.

"I'm gonna roll a fat one, and I think we should share it."

"Way to change the subject, Price. And if I recall correctly, aren't we low on the stuff?"

"We are, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Here's the bag with all my stuff in it… I mean look at this… we are low on everything. We need hella cash… soon. I can't live on cheap cigarettes alone."

"That _is_ a problem. And I agree. Do you have any ideas?"

"Apart from trying to get the cleaning company to give us more work? I've been racking my brain over this problem for weeks. I can't come up with anything, really, at least not yet."

"Me neither. At least, not anything that either of us would be willing to do."

"Having sex with men for money, you mean? Hella no… never. I'll shoot myself before I even consider it… I'm about as gay as anyone can be, and so are you. I'd rather go back to Arcadia Bay."

"So would I. Hell, it would be better just to call my dad and ask him to unblock my bank account or to wire us money, not that he would…"

"That's what I mean. And also, I don't want to be reminded about Eliot the stalker."

"Yeah… I still can't believe you actually did it with him. I was a little shocked when you told me… _sorry Rach, V-card stamped_ …"

"I can't undo it, Rachel. I mean, he was nice at first, and it wasn't all that bad, but it made me realize I just wasn't into it… and I didn't think he would start stalking me. I want you to know, you're still my first and only girl… you're the only one who counts. That creep certainly doesn't."

"I appreciate it, Chlo. And don't worry, I will never hold it against you."

Rachel was playing with Chloe's hair. Chloe closed her eyes from time to time, just to enjoy the feeling more. It usually ended with her hair all messy, but it wasn't as if Chloe cared a lot about that… what mattered is that Rachel was touching her. Chloe returned the favor by squeezing Rachel's butt as often as she could. Those black jeans really made Rachel's curves stand out. _Hot booty_.

"We could become webcam girls, but I just remembered we don't actually have a webcam."

"Oh, come on miss Amber, do all your ideas involve sex in some way? Are you trying to hint at something? I already told you, no… you never know who might be watching."

"I just want _you_ , Chloe. That webcam idea is just something that could be a last resort, if we're ever at the utmost end of need. And it would just be you and me in the room… no one else. I swear, I'm only into you, what would it take to convince you?"

 _Of course_ , Chloe thought. _She wants to play that game again. Her kisses are great, though, so there is no harm in playing along. But now that I think of it, there is something… I'm just gonna say it, she won't be expecting this._

"How about you marry me?"

Rachel stared at Chloe with open mouth. Much to Chloe's satisfaction the smaller girl didn't have an immediate answer. _Gotcha_.

"Oh, right. Well… what can I say? Now that I think of it, Rachel Price does have a nice ring to it. When do you want to get it done?"

"You're serious?"

"Yeah… I thought you were too. Now that you promised it to me, I want it. And it would help us both a lot, last time I spoke to him on the phone, my dad said he still wanted to go after you for kidnapping a minor… you know, I was still 17 years old when we ran away a year ago."

"So… you're my fiancée now?"

"Yes. My answer is yes. Someday soon, when we have the opportunity, we should just drive to Las Vegas, get one of them quickie marriages, rent a hotel room, fuck each other's brains out, and then return here the next day. Mrs. Price and Mrs. Price."

"You're on, Rach. No backtracking now."

"Never. I'm ready for it. And one day, I hope my father finds out about it."

"On a different note, how long do you think this house will remain standing? But then again, at least the rent is affordable. The only reason this house looks relatively good is by comparison to the old shed behind it. We haven't actually got anything stored there, have we?"

"No, we don't need the space. I like this location, I must say that, even if this town is boring as fuck. We have some privacy, no one is asking questions, and as long as we pay the rent on time we won't have any trouble. The landlord doesn't look like he cares."

Chloe was losing focus. But then suddenly, her brain was fixed on a new idea. She picked up her bag of _special stuff_ and took out a little transparent bag, containing something blue.

"This… Rach. We could make a lot of money with this."

"What is it?"

"This stuff is called crystal meth."

"What? Seriously? Where did you get it? I've never seen this before."

"You remember Frank? Frank Bowers? He showed it to me, almost two years ago. He had a few of these in a box… samples he called them. Apparently, this stuff is called _Blue Sky_ , and he said he was going to make a lot of money distributing it. I just stuck this little bag in my pocket when he wasn't looking. I've kept it ever since."

"It looks so… how… I don't understand… this… the color is so even, and also still transparent."

"Chemistry is my thing, Rach. Making crystal meth… or rather _'cooking'_ as it's called… is not that hard at all. Most ingredients are easily available. The trick is understanding the process… I believe that if you know what you are doing, you can make some pretty pure stuff… it's supposed to look like glass, transparent white glass crystals…"

Rachel was amazed at how casual Chloe seemed to be whilst explaining all of it to her. It turned out that her sexy lover was even more talented than Rachel already knew. Meanwhile, Chloe continued.

"… of course, these here are blue, which hints at a slight impurity, but I think it was done deliberately. I reckon I understand how the color was created whilst maintaining transparency. However, I also believe that the value of purity is sometimes overstated. Frank explained to me that while meth purity is important, it isn't everything."

"You're hella smart, Chloe. If we wanted to do this, how would we go about it?"

"All that you need is to understand and respect the chemistry. You don't want explosions and fire, which are things that could happen if you mix the ingredients the wrong way, or in the wrong order. Mrs. Grant, without realizing it, taught me a lot. There's several ways to go about it, for example I could use methylamine, a precursor chemical. But there is an alternative, a lot of meth production uses pseudoephedrine instead."

"But… isn't this like… super illegal? Downright criminal even?"

"Oh yeah, make no mistake about it. And continuing about _Blue Sky_ , Frank said that this stuff was created somewhere in New Mexico, and whoever made it was referred to as 'Heisenberg', he was gonna get regular supplies and exclusivity for Portland and everything west of it, including Arcadia Bay. I don't know what happened, though."

"I'm a bit overwhelmed, Chloe. But you look very serious about it."

"I am, Rach. I think we should try it. Just a few batches and we could be set for the next decade. If it doesn't work, I'll consider your webcam idea or maybe we should simply go back to Arcadia Bay, to our parents… I would need some equipment for this kind of an operation, chemistry equipment… and the proper ingredients. I'll start drawing up a list."

Rachel had to take all of it in for a moment. This wasn't just eloping anymore. This was serious business, crime even. But it had a certain attraction. A few batches couldn't hurt, right? Fuck it, why not try? The world had tried to screw them over, maybe the favor ought to be returned. Thoughts ran through Rachel's head. _Shit_ … _I just realized_ … _I might know a place that probably has a lot of what Chloe needs._

"The school I work at has a chemistry lab, it's quite a huge lab. But I don't have the key, security dude does. I could probably get it for you, use my charms on him. I would distract him and you could get what you wanted from the lab. I don't think the school has much of a security system outside of this guy, I'll check tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan, Rach. Now… about your earlier suggestion… let's drive around, find some privacy and have some hot car sex. Plotting all this crime is making me want you."

"Now you're speaking my language, Price. Let's go!"

 

_***_

_Two weeks later._

"Are you ready for this, Rach? If you want out, say so now, and we'll just go home. I won't love you any less… ever. If you're not comfortable, we won't do it. It's not entirely without danger, after all."

"Nah… fuck that. I'm all in. We need a little excitement in our lives, living in this shitty town for almost a year now has made me restless, I want this adventure. I am a bit nervous, I will admit that."

"That's a good thing. I'm nervous too… nervous and excited. We could really make something out of this. If only your dad and my step-douche could see us now…"

"Yeah, I can just imagine the look on their faces. You have the key, right Chloe? Now, if anyone sees you, just say you're a friend of mine and you're coming to pick me up. Come in at the hour we agreed, and I'll be busy distracting security dude. Don't worry, I won't take my clothes off, I'll just loosen a few of the buttons on my shirt to tease him. Make sure you get what you need and get out of the lab within half an hour from entering it."

"Let's recap the plan one last time, Rach… oh wait, I should call you Nikki if the dude sees me, right? Nikki Beaumont? And you… you should be calling me Nora Delaney... let me check… yup, that's what it says on my ID."

"Right… good to be reminded of it. Alright, I'm ready. You come in about an hour from now, and if you don't see me in this hallway, you are good to go. The lab is right around the corner from there, on your right."

"I'll be in and out before you know it. I hope they have some good-sized Kjeldahl and Erlenmeyer flasks. We'll find out soon, I guess."

 

***

"Chlo, did you get everything you wanted?"

"Yeah I think so… I mean… fuck me… it was all there for the taking, as if someone knew I was coming. You'd almost suspect one of the teachers was stocking up for a meth lab of his or her own. We still need a few things, though, but nothing we can't buy in one store or another. How was it with your security friend?"

"I think he was almost ready to ask me to come to his place. But no, not gonna happen… I blueballed him good. Glad you finished up so quickly. I don't think he noticed me putting the key back where I got it from. Now let's go home and sleep."

"Good idea, Rach. But I can't get that feeling out of my mind… it was too easy… way to easy. We need to be very careful. I think I'm going to use the old shed to set up everything. No one but us has been there for a year, so it seems safe. Once I've made a test batch, I'll check the quality and based on that we should consider bringing Frank in."

"That's risky, Chlo. You owe him a lot of money, remember? I'm sure he was pissed when he found out we had left Arcadia Bay without paying him back. How much was it, again?"

"More than four thousand dollars, most of it to pay for fixing my truck and getting us those fake IDs. But if everything works out, I think we can pacify him with the prospect of making a ton of cash with our operation. And if it doesn't work out, and my meth skills aren't up to scratch, we'll just ditch the whole plan and we'll never tell him anything."

 

_***_

_Several weeks later._

Rachel was in the backyard, lying down on an old lawn chair, trying to sunbathe. The garden was more like a jungle than like an actual garden, but she didn't care. She was waiting for Chloe to emerge from the shed. Her formerly blue-haired lover was in there working on a second test batch after what Rachel understood to be the promising results from the first attempt.

Chloe had made her monthly call to her mother Joyce just the day before, this time from Farmington, New Mexico. Rachel had decided not to make calls anymore, as her father just kept issuing demands and threats during such opportunities to speak to his daughter.

And speaking of Chloe, the shed's door opened, and Chloe emerged, looking quite pleased with herself… almost triumphant. She ditched her work clothes and walked towards Rachel, now wearing nothing but undies and a t-shirt.

"Guess what, babe, even better than the first one! I told you I could do it. Respect the chemistry, that's all. Now that I figured it all out, I can start teaching you next time."

"Well done! I'm so proud of you, you deserve a reward!"

Rachel saw the devious grin on Chloe's face. "I'm coming to get it, Rach."

"Stop… stop! Shower first, reward after."

Chloe disappeared into the house. Soon she felt the hot artificial rain fall down on her body. A few minutes was all it took to make her feel clean again. She grabbed her towel, dried herself off and ran towards their bedroom to get herself fresh undies, shorts and her old Firewalk t-shirt, one of her favorites.

She went back downstairs and poured herself a glass of water. Then she went outside and sat down on the other lawn chair, right next to Rachel.

"How's the most beautiful girl in the world doing, Rachel?"

"Well, I don't know, Chloe. How are you?"

Chloe's face turned red, and she dropped the glass of water she was drinking onto the grass. "I-I'm f-fine…"

Rachel was laughing. "You are so cute when you blush. God, I love seeing it, and I think I always will."

"Fuck you, Rach."

"Is that a promise?"

"Maybe. You do owe me, after all. Tonight, I'll be claiming my reward. I'm not the shy bottom anymore I was three years ago."

"I love the new you, Chlo."

"Does anyone at the school suspect us?"

"I don't think so, the investigation seems to focus on our security friend, and he has no clue."

The pair discussed how to continue. Chloe reminded Rachel that she had already informed Frank after the first batch. But Frank had not seemed happy to hear from her. Rachel was a little concerned.

"What if he never shows up?"

"Then we're going to have to find another solution. Right now, Frank is the only one we know that might have the necessary connections. And we're practically out of money, Rach. We have no option but to continue. Or we might have to do the thing you suggested… not what I would want but you did say it was kind of a last resort thing."

"Let's hope we don't have to."

Chloe and Rachel both laid themselves down on the lawn chairs to enjoy the late afternoon sun. It would not be long before the sun would start to go down. Chloe looked at Rachel who seemed half asleep. Chloe herself felt tired and had difficulty keeping her eyes open. She heard a strange noise but didn't pay too much attention to it. It sounded like a car engine being switched off, and a door being slammed shut.

Chloe yawned and shut her eyes. The sound of footsteps was drawing near. But before Chloe was able to make a move, she heard a rather familiar voice.

"Well… well… if it isn't Thelma and Louise. Where is my fucking money, Price?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's hope that their guest is willing to listen. Are Chloe's persuasion skills as good as her chemistry skills?


	3. Crazy handful of nothin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things took a little longer than expected, but real life and work intervened, so I had to set priorities. Don't worry, I plan on going all the way with this.

**Crazy handful of nothin'**

Chloe jumped up from her lawn chair and looked in the direction from which the words had come. There he was, the man to whom she owed a substantial amount of money. And that man had also brought his dog.

"Hello Frank, long time no see! How nice of you to come here!"

Chloe saw Frank look at her with his all too familiar angry stare. He was obviously not happy to see the two young women or even remotely amused by the too-friendly greeting.

"There you are, Price. I never thought I would see you again. Don't think you can play around with me, you need to give me my money back. You contacted me and said you had it for me. So, where is it? You got it hidden in those shorts perhaps?"

Pompidou, Frank's dog, ran into the backyard and seemed to amuse itself. Chloe attempted to use the slight distraction to try and defuse the already tense situation.

"Calm down Frank, we're all friends here. You'll get your money, don't worry."

Frank sighed audibly and slightly tilted his head, which Chloe remembered was something he always did whenever someone told him what he did not want to hear.

"Are you telling me you don't have it?"

"Not right now, but I got something much better. Let me show you."

"What the hell? Are you playing games with me, Price? You know I hate that. I came here because you said you had my money, and now you're saying you don't?"

"There are no games being played, Frank. Forget the money for a moment. I've been up to something, and I think you are going to like it."

Right at that moment Pompidou approached Chloe and sat down right besides her. Chloe petted the dog on it's head and rubbed its back. Frank was annoyed at how his own dog seemed to be choosing sides against him.

"You're lucky, Price. Pompidou likes you and trusts you. So… alright, what is that something you want to show me? Let's get this over with."

"Follow me, it's right over there, in the shed."

"Sure, Price. The moment I walk into that shed, you're gonna shoot me in the back or something, right?"

"You're way too suspicious, Frank. You've been watching too many mafia films. I'm not even carrying a gun right now. But alright, I'll go in first if it will set your mind at ease. Rachel will watch Pompidou for you."

Rachel was amused by the ongoing conversation between her sweetheart and Frank. She decided to let Chloe take care of business because in the matter of meth cooking Chloe was obviously way more knowledgeable than she was. She would keep an eye on Frank's dog as Chloe had suggested.

Chloe walked towards the shed and Frank followed her. Chloe approached the shed and opened the doors. She immediately pointed at the setup inside.

Frank looked at where Chloe was pointing. He was confused for a second or two but his mind worked quickly and it dawned on him just what was on display in the middle of this old decrepit shed. He looked at Chloe in disbelief.

"What the fuck is this? I mean seriously, what the fucking fuck is this? Are you kidding me? Meth? You've been cooking meth?"

"It's not a joke, Frank. Crystal meth. Remember those samples you once showed me?"

Frank had to think again. And then he remembered the scene Chloe was referring to, something that had happened a few years earlier in his RV. The day that he had told her he was going to be rich. Chloe wouldn't be showing him this today if she hadn't produced something worthwhile.

"Are you saying you managed to cook crystal meth? I mean, serious quality stuff? Well… just when you think you've heard it all."

"It's true, Frank. I did it. Look over there, the results of my second test batch. Looks good, doesn't it? It has the exact same color as the samples you had in your RV."

Frank walked closer to the rather primitive looking meth cooking setup and studied the product on display, the product Chloe was claiming she had made. Chloe was watching him and saw him shaking his head. After a few minutes, Frank stopped examining the blue product and turned back to Chloe.

"You're fucking me, Price. No way you made this. You… a high school dropout, no diploma, nothing, how the hell do you even _know_ how this is done? This shit can't be real."

"I aced chemistry, Frank. That's all there is to it. Chemistry, the only subject in school I actually liked studying. Respect the chemistry and you're going to do fine. I've been working on this idea for a while, long before I got started on this setup here. I brought all my chemistry books, read everything online that I could and I even figured out how _whatshisname_ made it look blue."

The reference triggered Frank, and he lashed out at Chloe in anger.

"How dare you insult the great Heisenberg like that? You just got lucky, that's all. I don't believe you fully understand what you were doing here, I'm not buying it. What Heisenberg made, before he died, that was art… something else altogether… the best stuff I've ever seen. I was gonna get rich distributing it, but supplies dried up when he died, and his entire distribution network was dismantled by the DEA. And all the money I was going to make just evaporated…"

"My meth is art too, Frank. And considering this rather simple setup I have here, I think I have managed to produce something with exceptional purity. I don't think I can get it much higher without some professional equipment. With that, and the proper ingredients, there's almost no limit to what I could do. I'm good at this, Frank. And I'm kind of fond of the blue color. I should start dyeing my hair blue again."

"You had to change your look in order to make it more difficult for the authorities to track you and your girlfriend, _whatshername_. And I'm glad to see you listened to my advice and ditched that truck. Congratulations on staying out of the hands of the police. As far as I've followed the case, they've more or less give up on the two of you. Now… back to what I came here for, now we got all this meth nonsense out of the way, where's my fucking money?"

But Chloe had been triggered as well. Also, she did not intend for one second to give up on her plan.

"First, her name is Rachel, you've seen her before. If you must know, I'm going to marry her. That's right, she's mine. Second, are you fucking deaf, Frank? I don't have your money. And because you don't seem to have figured it out yet, let me make it clear to you. I am offering you something way better than the money I owe you. I'll cook some more of this meth for you, you can sell it, take your cut and give us the rest. And once Rachel and I have enough money, we'll be able to get our lives started for real in L.A. or Florida or wherever we care to go."

Frank closed his eyes. Everything about the whole thing suggested to him that it was a bad idea. Hell, calling it a bad idea was generous. Who in his right mind would partner with a teenage high school dropout who seemed interested only in making some quick cash? A partnership with this girl and her fiancée or whatever it was that they had going on between the two of them? Only a complete fool would agree to do so.

A smart man would turn around, leave and never come back. A smart man would even forget this girl owed him money in the first place and he would get the hell out of dodge before things started going wrong.

But something gnawed at Frank's mind. He recalled how often he had thought of the money he was going to earn distributing _Blue Sky_. And there was more, Chloe had struck a nerve. She too wanted to make money, to set herself and _whatshername_ … Rachel… whatever… up for the rest of their lives. It was similar to what _his_ plan had been at the time. Make some cash and leave that shitty town Arcadia Bay behind forever. If it had worked out at the time, he would already be cruising around in his RV this very day, without a worry in the world. It was still a very appealing dream.

Frank cleared his throat. He had made a decision.

"Listen, Chloe. I think is a bad idea. But… this is your lucky day, yes, I've decided to consider your offer. So here's what I am going to do. I will take these samples, these test batches of yours, and contact a few people I know to see if we can arrange something. I'll consider those batches a full payment of your debts. I can't guarantee that we are going to be doing this. But, if I get things in place, I will contact you and let you know.

If this is going to happen… and I do mean _if_ … there _will_ be a more professional setup than this, I can guarantee you that. And what you've produced here will probably be the bare fucking minimum in terms of quality."

Chloe was both relieved and anxious at hearing Frank's answer. But simply hearing that it _could_ happen was enough for her right at that moment.

"I appreciate it, Frank. And I'm sure that Rachel does too. If you can get us started, we're not going to back out, don't worry. Rachel and I have discussed this at length, we're both in. We need the money and you have seen that I'm a damn good meth cook, I bet that Heisenberg's stuff wasn't any better than mine the first time he made it. I'm not being arrogant here, Frank, I'm being confident. As I said, chemistry is the one thing in school I liked and was actually very good at."

Frank walked to the outside, Chloe followed him. They both observed Rachel playing fetch with Pompidou. Frank shook his head and looked at Chloe again.

"Well I never… this is quite the turn of events. But, Price, I have your word and you have mine. _If_ this gets started, we will make some serious money."

"Like I said, Frank, that's all we want. And I think we're kind of talking in circles now."

"Right. So, I'm going to make the rounds and you'll hear from me in about a month's time. But if I call and you don't respond, the deal will be off forever. Make sure you can leave here at a moment's notice."

Frank turned away to leave. But Chloe wasn't going to let him go that easily.

"Frank, wait. Just one more thing."

"What is it, Price?"

"Can you like, give us some more money? Rachel and I are terminally short of hella cash. And I think the stuff you just took from the shed is worth a little more than what I actually owe you. Plus, I promise to make much more of it, if you can make it happen."

"You got some mighty big lady balls asking me for more money, Price. But alright, I can spare a bit of cash."

Frank pulled out his wallet. Chloe was amazed at how thick it seemed to be. Frank counted out about two thousand dollars and handed it over.

"That's all you'll be getting. You are damn lucky that I got a soft spot for the both of you."

"You're a lifesaver, Frank. Much appreciated. Now Rachel and I can afford to get married."

Frank just grunted in response. Meanwhile, Rachel had joined the two of them, and she looked at Chloe in disbelief. "You told him? You actually told him?"

Chloe apologetically looked back at Rachel and flashed her an awkward smile before answering.

"There's no harm in that, Rach. I mean, Frank and us might be business partners soon. We gotta be straight up and honest with each other, right?"

Frank scoffed at Chloe's answer. " _Straight_ … sure. Well, whatever. Do what you want, but don't disappear on me, Price. I'm not going to do you another favor. Answer my call _if_ you get it, or forget all about it."

"I swear, Frank. We'll be there if we need to be."

"Later, Price. Come Pompidou, we have work to do."

Chloe and Rachel saw Frank get into his car, along with his dog. The car soon disappeared.

 

***

Chloe put her arm around Rachel's shoulder. "Well, that went better than I expected. We even have some money now."

Rachel smiled whilst looking at her fiancée. "Chloe, you are amazing. Like I needed another reminder as to why I am so desperately in love with you. I mean, he never stood a chance, did he? But, never mind him, you said something about getting married soon? How about his Saturday? Or Friday?"

"You're on, Rachel. I'm gonna see if we can find a cheap motel near Vegas to stay in during our _business_ there."

"That sounds hot, Chlo. And speaking of _hot…_ there's still the matter of your reward. You wanna get it inside or outside?"

"Definitely outside, Rach. I mean, we might be about to take the biggest risk we've ever taken in our lives, we might as well run a little risk of getting caught in the act here."

Rachel took Chloe's hand, and dragged her along. Once the couple reached the long grass, Rachel pushed Chloe down on her back and climbed on top of her soon-to-be wife. Rachel removed her own shirt and revealed her topless body. Chloe was instantly and hopelessly mesmerized by the view. Rachel was touching her own upper body with one hand, and Chloe's with the other, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on those blue eyes that were staring at her. Slowly, Rachel leaned in for a kiss.

"I'm going to heat you up first, babe. Let me show you some of the moves I learned when I was a cheerleader. This is actually a fantasy of mine, I'm gonna be the cheerleader, and you're gonna be the football team's quarterback. We're gonna fuck, right here… right now."

Chloe soon forgot just about everything except Rachel's name. As Rachel sensually moved her body Chloe was unable to think of anything else. Chloe could still hardly believe what was happening, Rachel was way beyond hot and sexy. Chloe desired her so much, and after a few minutes was unable to resist any longer. She pulled Rachel towards her and the two teenagers started a lengthy make out session that did not take long to escalate into naked bliss. Hours later, still in each other's arms, they were asleep with only a couple of blankets between them and the skies above.

 

***

_Early Friday morning_

The sign next to the road increased the anticipation. _Las Vegas, 30 miles._ Everything had been arranged. A motel to stay in for two nights. A list of not-so-expensive chapels where they could have their private wedding ceremony and the address of the Clark County marriage license bureau. The couple had made sure to bring their real IDs because the fake ones they had used for a year now would not make the whole thing official.

Rachel was staring out of the passenger seat window. At Chloe's request she was wearing her ripped black jeans and red flannel shirt for the occasion. Quite possibly it was the fanciest outfit she still owned. She turned her head to the left and observed Chloe. It had been quiet for a few minutes. Chloe was wearing what Rachel knew to be her lover's least worn clothes and her favorite boots. Rachel saw the three-bullet necklace dangling from Chloe's neck as it subtly danced back and forth during the drive to the gambling capital of the world. Or as they saw it, the marriage capital.

Suddenly, the silence was broken. Chloe sounded a little anxious.

"Why, Rachel. Why me? Why did you choose me?"

Rachel was taken aback by the strange question. "What do you mean, C?"

"You could basically have gotten anyone, Rach. Why are you with me? What do you see in me?"

Rachel knew what was going on inside the taller girl's head. Chloe was having one of her episodes again. The former pirate queen of Arcadia Bay was still occasionally suffering from lack of confidence, anxiety and uncertainty. Rachel was very familiar with it, as this kept happening to Chloe every month or two. Chloe's confidence always seemed to come and go, even if she was clearly doing much better for the last six months or so.

"Babe, I've told you before, but I am more than happy to explain it to you again. I love you. And you know why? Because you freed me. Before you, I was stuck living a fake life with a fake family and having created a fake persona to try and hide just how sad I was and how desperate I was to break out.

I couldn't believe it when I saw you for the first time. You were so different from those Vortex Club assholes. You didn't give a shit what anyone thought about you. Me, I was constantly worrying what people in school were thinking, what my parents were thinking and so on. On the outside I might have looked confident but it was all an act, because inside I was dying. I feared that my life was being funneled towards a path that I did not want to take, mostly on account of my father.

Also, I knew I was gay, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. The thought of people even suspecting I was a lesbian terrified me. I tried denying it but that didn't work. And then you came into my life, or rather I arranged to insert myself into yours. I was desperate to get to know you and see if everything people said about you was true. I found out from Steph and Justin that you liked certain bands, like Firewalk, and as coincidence would have it, they were going to perform at the Old Mill. So I told the two of them that I was going to go and hoped you would be there too… I think the hints worked because you did show up."

"So that's why Steph and Justin kept harassing me to go… I mean even when they knew there was no way I was gonna miss Firewalk playing in Arcadia Bay. It's starting to make sense now. You were behind it all along."

"I was so happy when I saw you there. After we got away from those skeevy guys we sure had a great time, didn't we?"

"I'll never forget it, Rach. It was so amazing. Great music, booze, decent weed and you. I couldn't stop looking at you. I was overwhelmed."

"I noticed but pretended not to. When I got home, all I did was think of you, Chloe. I even _helped_ myself that night with the image of you in my head."

Chloe was staring at Rachel in disbelief before turning her eyes back to the road. "You? Anxious? I… I can't really believe that, Rachel. You were the queen of Blackwell, the one everyone wanted to be with. And even if you were uncertain, it must have been nothing compared to what I was going through. You were literally the first good thing that happened to me since my dad died and my supposed best friend abandoned me. You saved me, Rachel. I don't know what I would have done without you, I mean, the thing with Eliot was never going to last for obvious reasons…"

"So, as you say, I saved you… if that's what you want to call it. But all I did was fall in love with you. And it was easy, because you set me free. You taught me how to not give a fuck about what anyone thought of me. You helped me escape the prison that was my life and now we're here, three years later. About to get married, whilst still teenagers. I mean, it's all so unreal isn't it?"

"That's putting it mildly, Rach. I mean, I knew we had something going on, but I didn't realize just how much until now. Yes, we're young, but it feels right. I've gotten to know you so well over the last year. If someone turned back time one year I would make all the same choices again… and again if necessary. I don't regret a thing about what we did… running away... hiding… being together… and I'm not going to regret today either."

"Me neither, Chloe. We had to go, didn't we? You kept having those terrible nightmares, and my dad was threatening to take me away from Arcadia Bay because he disapproved of what we had. Not because we're so gay, but because he thinks you are _beneath_ me. As he said, if I'm going to be a lesbian, as if it's a choice, then at least I should date some girl from within my own class, whatever that is supposed to mean. But I don't want them, I only want you."

"You're making me blush, Rachel. And yeah, it sucked having to go so suddenly, without diplomas and all that, but as you say we had to do it. And you know, I feel really good about _us_ ".

"You and me, Chloe. We are bonded for life, I can feel it. We're going to get old together. But let's not kid ourselves. We will have disagreements, we will have arguments, that's only natural. Marriage doesn't solve all problems, but rather it creates new challenges to overcome. But together, I feel we can overcome them. All we need to do is be open and honest towards each other, to listen to each other and respect each other's quirks and limits. And I agree with you, I have also gotten to know you very well since we eloped."

"Rachel, you just saved me again. I don't know why I get so melancholic from time to time, I suppose that it follows naturally from the things that have happened. I hope to grow out of it one day."

"You can always count on me, C. And before I forget, once we are done I think we should call your mother. She deserves to know, and to hear firsthand from you. As for my father, I propose we make a picture of our marriage license and of the two of us, and send them for him to stew on. We could write _"2 x Mrs. Price"_ as text."

"You're evil, Rachel, and I like it."

"The place isn't far from here, Chloe. Are you ready?"

 

***

_Not much later, inside a small chapel_

"If you ladies will follow me, it's time."

Chloe and Rachel held hands as they walked behind the middle-aged woman who was going to perform the ceremony. An elderly couple was standing ready to be witnesses to the whole thing.

The proceedings went by very quickly, and it wasn't long until it was time to recite the vows. The woman asked if the couple was ready, which they both confirmed. Chloe and Rachel had managed to procure a set of affordable and matching wedding rings. On both rings, the inscription simply said "C+R".

"Do you, Rachel Dawn Amber, take this woman, Chloe Elizabeth Price, to be your lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you, Chloe Elizabeth Price, take this woman, Rachel Dawn Amber, to be your lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward. For better or for worse. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"Yes I do."

"The wedding rings, which the brides now place on each other's finger, seals the vows of marriage and represent a promise of eternal and everlasting love. They have both declared their commitment to each other. Therefore, by the power vested in me by the laws of the state of Nevada, I take great pride and pleasure as I declare them to be legally wed. You may now each kiss your bride."

After Chloe and Rachel finished their first kiss as a married couple, they shook hands with the elderly couple that had served as their witnesses. Also, they thanked the woman that had just performed the ceremony for them. Once the documents were all filled in the newlyweds were ready to go to the marriage license bureau that was only a few minutes' walk down the street.

 

***

Once outside, once again holding hands, Rachel and Chloe felt the warmth of the rising sun. Rachel turned to Chloe as they were making their way towards their next destination. "Aren't you going to say anything, Mrs. Price?"

"Emm… uuhhhh… I… I don't know. Yeah, I guess I am Mrs. Price now. But so are you, I saw it on the document."

"I'm now officially yours, Chloe. And you are mine. Hella mine in fact."

"I think I need time to get used to the idea, Rachel. And I kind of wish my dad could have been here, and my mom too, of course."

"That's only natural, C. I for one now feel freer than ever before. The burden of my dad's name has fallen away for good. I bet once he sees the pictures we're going to make, he will still be telling himself that I am just going through a phase. I want you to know, Chloe, it _is_ a phase, but one that will last the rest of my life."

"I think we're here, Rach. Let's go inside and finalize things."

About an hour later Chloe and Rachel emerged from the marriage license bureau, now officially registered as a married couple. They headed straight over to a payphone to call the Price residence. Chloe fervently hoped that her mom would pick up the phone.

After three attempts and no answer, Chloe was ready to give up for the day. Rachel convinced Chloe to try Joyce's cellphone. After just two rings she suddenly heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line. Rachel listened in but mostly heard only what Chloe was saying.

 _"_ _I'm doing fine mom, and Rachel is fine too. In fact, I'm calling because you need to know something._

_…_

_Please don't freak out, but as of today, you have a daughter-in-law. Rachel and I just got married, officially. I'm sorry we had to do it this way. You deserved to be here, if anything._

_…_

_I know mom, and thanks. Yes… we will see each other again… of course we will. Relatively soon, I hope._

_…_

_Rachel and I agree on this, her father has to accept us being together. Maybe you can talk to him? It would mean so much to us._

_…_

_We can't, not yet. Something might come up which will require our undivided attention for a few months at least. No don't worry, it's not dangerous, we know what we are doing._

_…_

_This is the future I want, or at least the part where Rachel is in it. I love her so much, mom. I love her as much as I loved dad, and you of course._

_…_

_I have to hang up now. I love you, mom. We hope to see you in the near future."_

As Chloe ended the call, Rachel saw her subtly wiping away a tear. Rachel put her arms around Chloe and looked her in the eyes. "I love you too, C. We will make it right for your mom. That whole meth thing is only going to take a few months, right? If it happens? If so, we might see her sooner than we are thinking now."

"I hope so Rach. Even if I will never miss Arcadia Bay, I do miss my mom."

"We should get something to eat, and drink. I think we deserve a little wedding meal, don't we? Anything you really want?"

"I dunno, maybe we can try that fried chicken place over there."

"That sounds like a plan. And before I forget, we have to send those pictures we made in the marriage license bureau. What was I gonna write? I forgot… wait… something… like… there… all done."

"What did you write, Rach?"

"Mrs. Price and Mrs. Price send their greetings."

Rachel switched off her cellphone and took Chloe's hand as they walked into the small restaurant.

 

_***_

_Arcadia Bay, a few weeks later_

"Did you find what you were looking for, Max?"

"I'm not sure, Joyce. I read the last of Chloe's diary today. Thank you for letting me come here from time to time to do this. I'm not sure if Chloe would appreciate me reading her diary… or her e-mail… but it can't be undone now. I'm going to try and find them, any small piece of information, no matter how trivial, might help me."

"I hope you succeed, Max. But neither David nor the police managed to do it. I hope the diary or the e-mail might have some hidden clue in them that you might understand, seeing as you've known Chloe for so long. It's just so weird, thinking about my baby being out there, along with her partner in life… wife… or whatever you call it when two women get married. I was shocked when she told me during that last phone call, but maybe I should not have been surprised."

"From what I remember, Chloe always told me she hated the weather around here. She wanted to go somewhere where it was warmer. I understand that Rachel is originally from Los Angeles. L.A. is a big place, but still I doubt they went there, it would be too obvious. From the location data David managed to get from Chloe's phone calls, I've put marks on this map. All locations are in the Southwest. I realize we're looking for a needle in a haystack here, but at least we can narrow it down to about _this_ area."

Max started drawing lines on the map in front of her. One line went from Las Vegas to Denver, and the next one from Denver to Albuquerque. The final line from Albuquerque back to Las Vegas.

"Are you sure, Max?"

"Yeah. David has a similar idea. Let me draw an interior line here… from Flagstaff to Grand Junction, via Farmington. Also, I'm going to mark Henderson, Santa Fe and Colorado Springs."

"I'm impressed, Max. Make sure you align your selections with David."

"I will, Joyce. And I'm going to be working on those missing person posters for the both of them. Then I will drive over to those places and plaster the posters all over. All we need is just one sighting and then we can take it from there."

"Thank you so much for helping us, Max. I am very grateful. The police have just about given up on the search, I haven't heard anything from them for months now."

"That's not good. But anyway, I have to go now. But I will be back in a few days. Stay strong, Joyce, I promise that you will see Chloe again."

Max left the Price residence. Once again, she had a lot of thinking to do. Joyce had shared the news with her, the news of Chloe's wedding to this Rachel girl. Max's heart had sank upon hearing it. But it had only strengthened her resolve to find Chloe. She still planned on telling her best friend that she was gay too, even if it was probably… likely… certainly too late for more than a friendship with her former pirate colleague. Max looked forward to meeting the girl that had swept Chloe off her feet. She must be special, indeed.

 

_***_

_Somewhere in the US Southwest, a few weeks later_

"You are not very good at bluffing, Chloe. I call."

"Fuck… I got nothing…"

"So… what are you going to be taking off now? Your panties or your bra? Not much left, is there?"

"Screw you, Rach. How come you always win at strip poker?"

"I guess I am focused towards my goal…"

"Which is getting me naked?"

"Well that's part of it… step one of my grand scheme for tonight. It's an admirable goal, Chloe. You are hella attractive. And we're married, right? You should have nothing to hide. I mean, I've lost count of how many times we've screwed each other's brains out since we were married. I'm pretty much game for tonight."

"Well… maybe, Rach. If you ask nicely. But you are still wearing your shirt. When do I finally get to see you naked before you see me?"

Rachel laughed and Chloe couldn't help laughing with her.

"Once you learn how to bluff? Come on Chloe, give me the cards. I'll deal the next hand. Meanwhile, you take off your bra."

Chloe muttered something that Rachel couldn't quite understand, but duly obliged. She was now down to her panties, and the realization set in that one more loss would once again put Rachel in charge for the evening.

"OK, Chloe. How many?"

"One card please."

Chloe discarded one card from her hand and accepted the new card Rachel gave her. Chloe visibly grinned.

"I'm all in this time, Rachel. Now I have you."

"If you say so, Price."

"You're Price too, remember?"

"I am… we are… both of us. And I'm going to call again."

Rachel put her own cards on the table. One pair of aces. Chloe's grin instantly disappeared.

"Well? I'm waiting, Chlo."

Chloe threw her cards on the table, Rachel looked at them and triumphantly punched the air.

"Oh Chloe, you wild, beautiful thing. You had a crazy handful of nothin'."

Chloe sighed in defeat. Rachel's winning streak was extended once more. Chloe got ready to remove her last item of clothing and present her self to Rachel the way her blonde bombshell liked to see her. Then all of a sudden, the pair were disturbed by a particular sound. It took them both a few seconds to realize it, but Chloe's cellphone was ringing. Who could it be?

Chloe picked up the device and immediately saw who it was. She looked at Rachel. "Shit, it's him… I gotta take this call."


End file.
